Run Your Best 10-Miler

These 10-week training plans (for intermediate, advanced, and beginning runners) were developed by Larry Indiviglia, a certified personal trainer and director of run programs at Island Fitness in San Diego. Since the goal is to race the 10-miler at or about your lactate-threshold pace, all three programs include at least one lactate-threshold-paced workout per week, along with one longer run to build endurance. The intermediate and advanced programs add a variety of speed and hill workouts that should include at least a one-mile warmup and a one-mile cooldown.

Track Striders: On a quarter-mile track, run the straights hard but not all out, and jog the turns for recovery.

Downhills: Find a gentle hill that is about 100 yards long. Run down hard but controlled, and jog back up for recovery.

Uphills: Find a hill that is about a quarter to a half mile in length with a five to eight percent grade, which is challenging, but not so steep that you can't sustain a strong uphill effort. Run up it at your 10-K race pace. Recover by walking back down the hill to your starting point.

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